A group of scientists from the Field Museum of Natural History (Illinois, USA) conducted a study and listed the reasons why modern birds were able to outlive dinosaurs during the Cretaceous mass extinction. It was reported by Naked Science, citing the results of a study published in a scientific journal. Communication Biology.
There are two types of molting – active and simultaneous. During active molting, the bird gradually loses its feathers, and during simultaneous molt, all feathers are shed almost instantly. According to scientists, non-ornithes (modern bird species) lived longer than dinosaurs because they shed less. The scientists examined 600 skins of various neonnites (modern birds) that have survived to this day and found that the skins of birds that molt simultaneously showed almost no signs of gradual molt. In contrast, in birds that molt gradually, these markings are ubiquitous.
The scientists then examined 92 feathered dinosaur and primitive bird fossils and found signs of active molt in only a few specimens. Based on this, the researchers concluded that dinosaurs and primitive birds changed their feathers less often and were “adherents” of simultaneous moulting.
Simultaneous molting was the reason why dinosaurs and primitive birds did not survive Neoornithes. The fact is that with simultaneous molting, the thermal insulation properties of feathers were significantly damaged, and the mobility of dinosaurs decreased. With a sharp reduction in available resources, even a relatively short simultaneous molt contributed to the extinction of the entire species.
Formerly paleontologists proventhat placental animals diversified before the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Source: Gazeta
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